The Young And Hopeless
by StillNotGinger2
Summary: (By Amy/StillNotGinger2) When Beth Greene is forced from the safety of her apocalyptic home she finds herself falling for the last man she thought she'd possibly fall for. (After Season 4- Mid Season Premiere, Bethyl)
1. Prologue

She'd just seen her father die, Daryl thought.

The young blonde was in tow, following behind him closely, a bundle of his shirt in her fist and tears down her face.

The sound of crying had always sounded strange to him; a sort of broken sob that Beth was making was a sound so foreign to his ears it shocked him.

They didn't talk. They both just walked in silence, one sobbing and the other trying to get two people out of danger.

Beth and Daryl had never really talked.

There had been a few exchanged words and some small conversations, a hug inbetween, but they were never prepared to spend more than a few days together.

Daryl himself was never certain as to who Beth Greene really was. There was a few puzzle pieces he'd been able to put together but very much like him, she was pretty secretive.

No one really knew what was going through the young girl's head.

The adults were to busy for her and the children were too busy being children. Beth never really fit in anywhere, no matter where she was.

But trudging through the thick undergrowth, the little blonde girl in tow, he finally realised where she belong.

And she definitely didn't belong in a world like this.


	2. Chapter 1: The Same Broken Beat

They'd been walking at the same pace for hours. Just a slow jog, trying to scavenge things as best they could before finally leaving the boundaries of the prison.

Beth was afraid if she didn't sleep soon, she'd drown. Her thoughts consumed her, filling her blue eyes with smoke. They hadn't stopped to rest for hours and her legs ached with a pain unfamiliar to her.

The image of her father's mouth still twisted into a sick smile on a head hacked from a body kept rising in her mind, making her want to cry. The heat didn't make these things any better. Every time she looked in the distance she'd see her sister and start to yell and Daryl would get mad and snap at her that the heat does crazy things to your head.

She could only hope Maggie hadn't faced a similiar fate as her father, who's body was probably lying still near the fallen prison fences and getting gnawed on by shells of human beings.

Daryl hadn't spoken much, only to tell her that she wasn't really seeing Maggie; that is was naive hope. Maybe it was, maybe she was foolish for believing in it. A part of her hoped she'd left that little girl in a bloody mess in a farmhouse bathroom, as her fingers constantly traced her scar. If she were to rise like that again and let the pain consume her, she'd hope that someone would put her down; not make her face the pain of possibly eating someone she loved. The thought of turning into the same thing her new family were trying to fight sickened her; if she were to do it she'd make sure she wouldn't come back as one of those things.

"You okay?" Daryl finally said, clearing his throat to clear the suffocating air.

Beth nodded slowly, her hand still holding onto the back of his shirt, tears no longer falling down her face as they had been before. "I think so," she lied, stumbling over a large log.

Daryl nodded in front of her, not saying anything, his crossbow held tightly in his hands. "We'll have to find somewhere to stay," he stated, pushing back a branch for Beth to grab as they kept walking. They'd only just stopped jogging, Beth's thighs still burning from the sudden exercise.

"What if we never find the others?" she asked, keeping her head low to watch the ground. In front of her, Daryl's shoulder dropped as if he himself was pondering it.

Daryl cleared his throat, silence following soon after.

They continued to walk in the bitter silence. The sun around them was setting, casting an orange glow over the ground. Beth stared down at it, watching the world slowly fade into an unsteady darkness.

"We will," Daryl said, though it'd been at least five minutes since Beth had spoken.

She nodded from behind him, releasing her grip on the back of his shirt, following the pair of angel wings in front of her eyes as night finally settled upon the pair.

"Where are we going to stay?" Beth whispered.

They kept walking, stumbling upon a small graveyard, a large gate surrounding it. From behind him, Beth gasped a little making him turn to see what all the fuss was about.

"Josephine, Maggie's mum," was all she said.

Daryl turned to look back at the graveyard. Despite having that rotting smell of death, what _didn't_, it looked okay. If not to the night then a good place to stock up with supplies in case they had to stay here. He craned his neck to find Beth but she wasn't behind him like she had been, instead she was walking ahead of him, the pistol he'd put in her back pocket still showing.

"We could..." she offered softly, "We could stay here."

"Ya sure?" he asked, watching the worried expression on her face slowly fade away as they walked closer. The large gates looked steady and he wondered how many people it would take to get them shut. Surely he and Beth could do it?

Beth nodded, running a hand up the metal of the gate. "We should get this closed," she admired, grasping a slender silver bar between one hand and forcing one side of the heavy gate shut while Daryl stared in suprise.

He followed in suit, tossing her his backpack. "Find somewhere," he instructed, pushing the other side of the gate shut; trapping them in the graveyard.

When he turned to find the small blonde, she was already pulling out the single sleeping bag Daryl had had packed in his backpack and lying it out. Beside it was a lighter, a few cigarettes and extra bolts for his crossbow.

"I thought we could share," she said uneasily, not making direct eyecontact but instead looking down as she unzipped it.

"I'll be fine," he offered. The past few nights had been quite cold at the prison but if someone was to stumble upon the sleeping figure of Daryl Dixon and Hershel Greene's youngest daughter shit would probably fly.

Beth stared at him, her eyes examining his even bluer ones. "Are you sure?" she asked gently, holding the sleeping bag between her small fingers. "I can..." she said, "I'm only small," she tried to say. They both just stared at eachother until finally she nodded slowly in understanding and moved it over, obviously claiming that spot as hers.

"Your cigarettes," she said, turning and wiping her dirty hands on her jeans. She stood, pulling something from her pocket then tossed it to him unsurely. "I'm not sure about your lighter," she admitted. "It's around here somewhere."

Daryl nodded, muttering his thanks before forcing his crossbow over his head, looking for somewhere safe to place it.

Beth stared, making him curious.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I have somewhere to put it if you'd like... If I can touch it," she said awkwardly, kicking at the dirt with her foot. Daryl held it out to her, watching her eyes widen as she grasped it, turning on her heel to adjust it against the trunk of a slender tree.

Daryl nodded in appreciation, watching her nervous frown fade into a small smile. Quietly, without talking, they both found a small spot each. Beth lied on the sleeping bag, muttering to Daryl she was tired and would take watch later while he sharpened his bolts and smoked a cigarette. He'd been limiting himself to five a day and though this was his sixth, he figured he earned it.

Pretty quickly the blanket of darkness that had settled over them made night. The wind battered against Daryl's jacket and soon he could feel it numb him to the bone.

He stared at Beth; her porcelain face framed by wild blonde hair and her features lit up in the moonlight. She mumbled a lot in her sleep and Daryl strained to listen to her, trying to decipher many of her words.

Finally he got sick of the cold and dropped his cigarette on the ground, crushing it beneath his foot then slowly made his way over to the young girl curled up in the sleeping bag.

He unzipped the side slowly, kneeling on the fabric of it, then slowly slid in beside her. Her warm body immediately curled against him, her head resting on his chest and her arm pulling him closer. Daryl tried to wriggle away softly but she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Don't go," she begged softly. "I'm tired."

Daryl just nodded, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I know, Beth," he comforted, letting his arm rest around her. "Sleep."


	3. Chapter 2: Silent Favours

Beth sat against the trunk of the tree Daryl had been lying against earlier. The smell of cigarette smoke still stuck oddly in the air. She watched him sleep, words falling clumsily from his mouth as he tossed and turned.

A rumble brought her attention to her stomach and the fact she hadn't eaten in what seemed like days. The last thing she'd had to eat had been a bowl of unidentifiable sludge the previous morning. She'd half expected her spoon to melt when she'd experimentedly tasted it.

Clutching one hand to her belly, she stood. Her hair was loose and messy, falling over her shoulders in dirty clumps. The last time she'd washed it had been almost weeks ago and the water had been less than ideal; ice-cold. She stared at Daryl and despite his dirty skin and scruffy hair, she was suprised to notice that last night he'd smelt like baby formula and motorbike oil. A smell she could get quite used to.

"Mornin'," he sighed, finally waking and rubbing his eyes, leaning up.

Beth stared at him, smiling softly. "Morning to you too, sleephead."

He nodded, obviously not in the mood for chipper conversation. Beth tossed him his jacket which she'd hung up over a small fire that morning to keep it dry; unaware that it had rained last night.

"It was raining," she said, "I... I dried it for you. Wasn't sure if that was okay or not, it was just lying there in the dirt and-"

"Thanks," Daryl said, catching it. The sleeping bag had been saved from the rain as it was fortunately placed under the same tree Daryl's crossbow leaned against though Beth couldn't tell what tree it was. She'd studied them briefly to identify the different types of trees on her family's property for a school assignment but had long forgotten.

Beth nodded in response, glancing at the large graveyard gates. A few stray walkers were thrusting their arms through the metal, trying to helplessly grasp at the pair.

"I think we should run a kind of fence duty, ya think?" Daryl asked, grinning as Beth turned to look at him. "I might go on a run, I'm hungry. I might leave soon, ya need anything?"

A pink blush rose to Beth's cheeks and she shook her head, pursing her pale pink lips together. "I'm fine," she replied. "We don't really need much, right?" she asked nervously. She wasn't sure why. Sure, she'd been alone with guys before but there had always been a guarantee that they weren't going to get anywhere. She would never let them. But here was Daryl Dixon sharing a sleeping bag, of all things, with her and talking to her like it was a normal day.

She could get used to this.

"Nah, easy run," he said. "I should be back before midday. Might even grab ya a book, give ya something ta do other than take care of me, right?" he joked, smiling slightly at her.

"I really don't mind," she reassured. "Be careful, 'kay?" she asked, staring at him once again. When he turned, his blue eyes finally meeting hers, they both turned away embarrassed.

Daryl swung his cross bow over his shoulder, coughing slightly into his palm. "I'll be careful," he promised. "Hey, Beth, if I'm not back-"

"We don't do that," she said softly. "We don't say goodbye. I know you'll be back, you always are, right?" she asked, looking at him from beneath her thick lashes. "I'll wait."

Beth was waiting.

Her head was a mess of things and she felt so tired; just so tired. She knew she couldn't sleep just yet. Not until Daryl was back at least. If someone, or something, were to get in...

Beth shook the thought from her head.

She had been told in very brief detail what the Governor had done to Maggie but if something like that were to happen to her she wasn't sure if she could come back from it, not like her sister did.

Worse would be if Daryl came back to see it but then at least she'd have someone to save her; save the helpless princess. She'd had enough of being saved constantly by others and being treated like a kid. The adults all walked around her like she was to be taken care of gently; like a china doll. The children ignored her. She wasn't sure which was worse.

All she knew was that she was definitely alone.

The rain began to drip, casting a dark cloud over her. She'd been alone for so long she wondered how much longer she could go without going crazy. She assumed she was pretty close.

Beth stared at the main gates, waiting to see that familiar sleeveless redneck or crossbow but instead she was greeted by the sound of groaning and the smell of rotting flesh. She'd been waiting at the gate all day and killing any walkers but she'd had peace for a while.

It was oddly quiet.

"Beth," a voice grunted.

She quickly rose her head, eyes wide in surprise. "Daryl," she exclaimed, standing and walking quickly over ot the gates. The walkers that had been there a few minutes ago were dead and she was suprised to find she hadn't hear a sound.

"Got ya somethin'," he said, passing her his crossbow.

Beth walked quickly over and leant it against the tree trunk. "Is everything okay?" she asked, staring at the blood on Daryl's shirt. "Are you hurt?"

"It's not mine," he admitted, "One of the walkers at the gate."

She nodded, "What'd you get?" she questioned curiously, taking the bag from Daryl's hands. "I'm starving."

When her hands landed on the small circle pot she froze then slowly pulled it out. "Lip balm," she admired. "Watermelon flavour." Her eyes slowly met his and she blushed. "Thanks, Daryl," she said, stepping closer to him to wrap her arms around his waist.

Daryl awkwardly let his hands rest on her back, his chin landing on her head.

"I wasn't sure-"

"It's okay. I love it," she replied softly. "I'm glad it's us," she admitted.

Daryl closed his eyes, squeezing her small body tighter. "I'm glad too, Beth, I really am."


	4. Chapter 3: Troubled Blondes

Daryl's back was against her and from where she was lying, she could smell his leather jacket and the fading smell of baby formula and rain.

She'd been awake, or in a state of consciousness, for more than a few hours. Everytime Daryl stirred or mumbled in his sleep she'd freeze, waiting for his voice to fill the quiet air or an arm to pull her into his chest.

The small pot of lip balm was digging sharply into her thigh, reminding her once again that this was real and her father was never coming back.

"Ya awake?" a voice said softly and Beth was surprised to hear it come from Daryl.

Slowly she nodded, closing her eyes and waiting for his body to shift behind her but it didn't. "Morning," she said sleepily. There was a mumbled reply beside her as Daryl lifted himself from the sleeping bag and stood, which was followed by silence.

"So-" she began, but Daryl cut her off.

"I think we need to get moving," he said. "Get to the highway, maybe, Beth. If we want to find the group we need to keep moving, okay?."

Unsure, she nodded.

"But..." she choked, the wind stealing the words from her delicate throat. "But what if they come here and we're not here?"

Daryl's blue eyes did a once-over of Beth's small body curled up in the safety of the sleeping bag before he replied.

"I don't know if we're gonna find them," he admitted.

Beth nodded, swallowing the tears. She had told Daryl only last week that she didn't cry anymore, to cry now was to show weakness; to let her demons finally win.

"I know that," she replied, letting her eyes meet his. "I know they're not looking."

"I didn't say that," he said, not yet looking away. "They're looking, Beth, they are. Maggie's probably tearing this world apart looking for you."

Beth's let her eyes blink and when she looked back, Daryl's gaze had shifted.

"I'm sorry," Beth said. "I'm sorry if I-"

Daryl looked back at her worriedly. "S'fine, I'm not mad," he admitted.

"I miss my father," she said suddenly. "I never got to say goodbye, I never got to tell him one last time I loved him, I never got to tell him I was proud of him."

Daryl's gaze was wondering over her now, his eyes landing curiously on her wrist as she itched at it.

"I just... You understand better than anyone. Maggie has Glenn but all _I_ have is Maggie-"

"Ya have me," he interrupted, a slight quiver in his voice as he said it.

Beth nodded in understanding, letting her eyes land on Daryl's as they both stared at each other. "I'm glad," she said. "I don't know what'd I'd do without you. I'm not even sure I'd be alive if you hadn't turned up at my father's farm or found the prison or rescued me two days ago."

His eyes wandered once again over her body before landing on her wrist, her fingers still stratching at it crazily.

"I don't know if I'd rather be dead. On the farm, that little girl chose to stay; she chose to not check out and to fight it head first but... I don't want to die. I guess it'd be easier, but I'd rather fight, you know?"

"I get it," Daryl replied, his voice no longer rough and deep but instead soft, letting Beth know that he really did understand and he really did get what she was going through.

Beth nodded, feeling her body shake with tears and before she could will them away, they were streaming down her delicate face in thin drops.

Daryl watched her cautiously, unsure how to approach the crying young girl in front of him. Slowly he began to walk towards her; small steps as if not to scare her away. He approached Beth the way one might approach a wounded deer. But this wasn't a deer, this was a crying young girl with piercing blue eyes and a pretty face and those, Daryl had no experience with.

Her whole body was racked with sobs as she listened to Daryl getting closer and closer. She waited for that hand, that hard and calloused hand, to grab her and tell her everything would be okay but instead she heard a voice.

"I'm here," it said. "I'm here... As long as ya need me."

Beth nodded, feeling two strong arms wrap securely, but unsurely, around her waist and pull her into its chest.

"I know," she cried, "I know."

Together, they sat in silence; Beth crying into Daryl's shirt as he held her awkwardly and stroked her elbow.

"I miss them," Beth whispered, squeezing Daryl's torso.

He nodded, listening to her cry and sniff helplessly then finally he found his voice. At first it was broken and raspy but then it became soft. "Me too," he admitted, burying his face in her hair. "Me too."


	5. Chapter 4: A Restless Case

Daryl stirred in and out of consciousness, his eyes aching and his muscles sore. The sun was high in the sky, leaving dark shadows on the ground around him.

Beth, sitting on a tree stump, was staring into the distance, her blue eyes lost in the assortment of greens before her. Her small hands were closed over the lip balm, stroking it with her index finger in boredom.

"Mornin'," Daryl grunted, his mouth dry from sleep and dehydration.

The blonde just nodded, lowering her head to look at her lap. It'd been ages since either of them had had a proper conversation and Daryl sensed the hesitation in Beth's voice when she spoke.

"Morning," she softly whispered, her voice barely heard by Daryl's ears.

Neither moved or spoke until finally Daryl cleared his throat, leaning up from the sleeping bag. "When I leave," he asked, "on a hunt or run, what do you do?"

She turned to look at him, confusion clouding her round blue eyes. It took barely a few seconds for her to reply, and when she did, her voice was honest and quiet as if she was thinking over every word.

"Wait for you to come back."

Daryl nodded in reply.

"I don't even know," Beth said. "I mean, I don't even know if Maggie's still alive. My father's dead and I thought for one moment that maybe, just maybe, God would spare her and me, and Rick and Carl, and you, and Glenn, and maybe, just maybe, Judith but..." She sighed in defeat, her voice stolen by the strong wind. "But he didn't."

They both just stared at eachother, Beth's blonde hair coming stray from it's loose ponytail. Daryl opened his mouth to tell her but instead closing it, realising her curious eyes were now straying down his bare chest.

Finally she lifted them to his eyes, moistening her lips as she prepared to speak.

"How old-" she started, but the sound of gunshot interrupted her.

Daryl jumped up, pulling his shirt on and grabbing his crossbow quickly. Beth jumped up, stumbling over to him in fear and hiding scaredly behind him.

"Daryl," she whispered. "What's going on?"

He shushed her, turning to find her blue eyes steadily on his and then he shrugged. "Follow me," he said.

Beth trod behind him, her feet crushing leaves and twigs noisily.

"Quietly," he added, with an angry hiss.

She nodded in response, her small hands gripping his wide shoulders; sharp nails piercing his skin. Her breath was close to his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

The sound of heavy gunfire and yelling filled the distance air and Daryl swore he could see a blazing fire from beyond the graveyard. As they both walked quietly and slowly towards the gate, Beth's breathing quickened and Daryl turned to look at her.

"Stay here," he instructed, watching her eyes widen in fear.

He waited for her to disagree or plead for him not to leave her but instead she nodded and pulled her gun from her back pocket.

"If I tell you to run, go," he added.

Beth nodded again, looking down at her gun then back at Daryl. With a slight quiver, she spoke. "Be careful," she said, reaching forward to lay a shaking hand on his arm. "I'll wait like I always do," she added with a nervous laugh.

Daryl slowly approached the gate, peering through the steel bars to try and catch a glimpse of whatever hell was happening on the other side of them.

Smoke filled the air, filling his mouth with grey poison. He lifted his shirt to cover his nose and mouth, hoping the smoke wouldn't cloud his vision. If they couldn't see then they couldn't escape and Daryl had made a promise to Beth's dead father to protect her.

No matter what, he'd said.

Beth fidgeted with her gun, her blonde hair falling down onto her shoulder in messy strands. The last time her hair had seen shampoo had been many weeks ago before they'd fled the infested prison. She's desperately hoped she'd get the chance to shower but after Daryl decided to choose the graveyard, and there was no running water, she had to do without.

Shoving the thought of her bad hygiene to the back of her mind, she concentrated on Daryl.

Feeling slightly guilty, she left herself think about Merle. She'd known that his death had devastated Daryl but she herself had never known him. If she had the chance, would she? Probably not. The only thing a guy like Daryl's older brother wanted a guy like Daryl for was to use him. Daryl's loyal, she thought, and if his brother needed him, or wanted something, he'd 100% be there.

She wondered if he missed him.

Beth missed her father. She missed those times she'd catch him watching her cautiously. She missed those times when he'd sit and read to her. She missed his smile. But most of all, she missed the way he loved her.

She wondered what parts of his older brother Daryl missed.

Maybe he missed his eyes, because his older brother had gotten lucky and inherited their mother's. Maybe he missed waking up and finding Merle passed on a dirty couch before the walkers. Maybe he missed telling Merle off for drinking so much. But most of all, she wondered if he missed the bad parts of his older brother.

Maybe Merle drunk too much and yelled at Daryl, who didn't take it to heart. Maybe Merle brought girls home at night and tried to force them at Daryl, who turned them down. Maybe Merle left Daryl alone and left him to fend for himself, which he forgave.

She wondered if he loved his brother with the same love she had for Maggie.

They weren't too much different; her and Daryl.

She'd made a mental list in her head their first night away from the prison of all their similarities. She'd also made a mental list of his pro's and con's.

Pro's- there was a lot.

Con's- there were very few.

Daryl was the kind of guy she could see herself with but knew she'd never get. If they'd met before the walkers, she might have flashed him a friendly smile or tried talking to him outside a shady bar but now was different. If Daryl pushed her away and denied her affection, she couldn't flee or hide her face; they were together now whether they liked it or not.

Beth didn't even know if they'd last the day.

She figured that if things went well, she might be able to get him to straighten up and hug her back at night. She'd counted numerous times she'd wrapped her arms around his torso only to be rejected. Beth didn't want to 'make love' or kiss, she just wanted the comfort of an arm and a warm breath on her lonely neck.

She even had two lovers on him- Jimmy and Zach.

Beth thought that maybe that extra experience might help. Hopefully soon, she was getting awfully lonely all by herself. Just because she had company didn't mean she couldn't feel lonely.

If he was lonely then maybe he'd accept her gestures.

She remembered that night when she had went in to have a shower at the prison only to find Daryl in the arms of a pretty blonde. She'd waited a while to see who it was before fleeing the scene. Was his little act in the shower loneliness or did he have _urges?_

Once she'd gotten to her cell, she'd crawled into her bed and imagined the thousand ways she'd like to be held by a man, and touched, and the way Daryl was holding that mysterious blonde was number one.

"Beth."

She stared at Daryl, watching the way he swung his arms about clumsily before she finally realised he needed help.

"Daryl!" she said, maybe a bit too loudly, and rushed to his aid. "What is it?"

He looked at her worriedly before twisting his head to the side and shrugging. Only then did her eyes slowly follow to the gun pointed to his head.

"Hand the gun over, Blondie," a voice demanded. "Or the next thing you'll be looking at is the dead body of ya boyfriend."


	6. Chapter 5: A Hidden Anger

Daryl stared at her in... what?

_Shock, horror, desperation, hope... love?_

Beth felt her throat close up, her breathing slowing down as she struggled for breath. She stood there, gasping for breath.

The man with the gun to Daryl's head could easily pull the trigger and splatter Beth in Daryl's blood. If he did, she wasn't sure if she could handle that.

Even with a prison full of people she was lonely. What would happen if she really was alone?

"Please," she said desperately. "Don't shoot him."

The man stared. "Put the gun down, Sweetie. I don't want to hurt you, or him, but if you don't put the gun down... I might not have a choice."

Beth raised her gun, letting her finger squeeze lightly on the trigger. "Drop your gun first," she threatened, "Or_ I_ might not have a choice."

He lowered his gun and Beth ran over to Daryl, checking him for injuries much to his embarrassment. "M'fine," he said quietly, knocking down her hand.

"Your gun," the man said. "I drop mine if you drop yours."

"You were there," Beth said in sudden realisation, raising her gun. She'd lowered it to check Daryl for injuries but now it was aimed at the man's head once again. "With the Governor. Right? You _watched_ him _hack_ an old man's head _off_ and then _fought_ for him?"

"Beth," Daryl said, going to lay a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him off.

Shaking her head, she inched the trigger back. "Give me one reason not to shoot," she said, feeling a strange shiver run over her body.

"Because-"

"You watched the Governor hack my father's head off then held a gun to my boy-" Beth stopped herself, curious as to what she was going to say.

She heard Daryl make a weird noise behind her; a mix of a cough and clearing his throat.

The man stared in horror at the gun pointed at his face. "Please," he said, raising his hands up in surrender. "Please don't shoot, I'm so sorry."

Beth squeezed her eyes shut and slowly inched back the trigger, preparing her ears to hear the gun in her hands go off.

Once she opened them, Beth choked back tears and stumbled backwards in horror at the body by her feet, her slim and shaking frame colliding with that of Daryl's.

"Hey," he said softly. "Beth, are you okay?" he asked. "Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head, letting her arm fall to her side, her gun dropping to the ground.

Daryl grasped her shoulders, staring at her as if waiting for her to talk but she didn't. "Did they _touch_ you, Beth?" he asked worriedly, checking her body for injuries with his eyes.

Beth looked at him cautiously, wondering why he cared so much, then replied, "I would've nailed 'em one if they tried."

He laughed awkwardly and then, realising he was still holding Beth's shoulder, let go slowly and rubbed his hands on his jeans as if trying to avoid the plague.

"Guess we better get goin'," he said, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder. "Oh, and Beth?"

She stared, nodding at him.

"Thanks for saving my arse back there," he admitted. "That took guts."

A pale pink blush rose to her porcelain-skinned cheeks and she turned away from Daryl in embarrassment.

"You would've done the same for me, right?" she said, forcing herself to give a small laugh.

Daryl didn't reply, just stared at her not understanding if she was joking or really wanted an answer. Sometimes, Beth thought, some things are left better unanswered.

Beth settled herself on the bed, feeling the mattress lower. They'd be lucky, she guessed. Lucky enough to find a small farmhouse not far from the graveyard that was almost untouched by walkers. There was two bedrooms, enough for both of them but Beth didn't want to sleep alone. She's gotten so use to the familiar scent of Daryl and the prescence of his body that lying in a double bed alone felt so foreign.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"I'm decent," she said loudly in reply to the knock.

The door slowly opened with a squeak and Daryl appeared in the doorway. "Hey," he said. "It's late, you should be going to bed."

"I was just getting dressed," she replied with a small blush, tucking a piece of light blonde hair behind her ear. "Well, night, Daryl. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, finally pulling back the bedcovers.

When she turned Daryl was still standing there.

"What?" she asked, facing him.

He just shrugged, staring down at the ground. "I just wanna say thanks again," he said, "for today. Ya really impressed me."

"I try," Beth joked. "Well, I'm tired so..."

"Oh, yeah," Daryl said in sudden realisation, shifting to stand on both legs instead of leaning on the door frame. "Night, Beth, sweet dreams."

She nodded in reply, licking her lips and mentally noting they felt dry. "Thanks, Daryl ,you too."

The door slammed, drowning out the rest of her words.

Beth lied down in fatigue, her eyes drooping shut. Without his body against hers she could barely sleep. There was no warm figure behind her and no arm uncomfortably around her, and it didn't feel right.

Curling up in bed, she heard the quiet sound of the bedroom door opening. Beth squeezed her eyes shut, trying to listen.

The blankets behind her were lifted and a rush of cold air pressed against her back. She felt a warm body press against her and she released the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"Oh," his voice said gruffly. "I didn't know you were awake, I can-"

"No," Beth said quickly, rolling over in bed to look at Daryl. "I... I can't sleep. Please stay," she said, trying not to sound too desperate.

Daryl nodded and opened his arms for Beth to snuggle into, which she did.

His embrace was warm and she could hear the thump of his heart, reminding her that this was real.

Beth leaned up and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Night Daryl," she said, snuggling herself into his chest.

"Watermelon," Daryl whispered, pressing his face into her hair.

Beth smiled sleepily and slowly drifted off to sleep, trying to figure out if that counted as a kiss.


	7. Seeing Maggie

_"You're an idiot you know?" Maggie laughed, her voice hollow as if she wasn't quite there._

_Beth nodded in reply. "He doesn't even like me," she said. "He takes care of me but I know I'm dead weight. If I hadn't have saved his life, he would have ditched me by now."_

_Maggie shook her head. "You really think that? Daryl's ignorant and sometimes I want to shoot him, but he's loyal and he's going to keep you safe. If not for you, or me, or dad, then for him. Beth, he needs you."_

_"I don't think so," Beth admitted, looking down at the wood of the veranda. She was back at home, on the farm. Her mother was inside, cooking, and her father and Shawn were down at the stable checking on the horses. "Maggie?"_

_"Yeah?" _

_"How are you here?" Beth asked. "Is this in my mind?"_

_Maggie smiled sadly, laying a hand on Beth's. "Mum, dad, Shawn. They're all dead, Beth. They're not coming back, ever."_

_"Are you..." Beth choked, "Are you dead, Mags?"_

_Maggie stared off into the distance, looking at the barn intently. "I never told you mum was inside cooking, or that dad and Shawn were at the stable. They're not here because they're gone, forever, even from you. You can't see them in your dreams because you're holding it from yourself."_

_"Does this mean you're alive? Are you alive, Mags? Please!"_

_Maggie just shrugged, her shirt clinging to her with sweat in the heat. "I don't know," she replied. "But, think about this, okay? If mum, dad and Shawn aren't here, they're dead, why am I?"_

_"I don't know," Beth said. "Why?"_

_Maggie just smiled in return, cheekily, and then cleared her throat. "I miss you Bethy," she said. "I miss dad, too, okay? I miss Glenn... Believe it or not, I even miss Daryl and Rick a little. Just promise me that you'll find me, alright? I'm looking for you, I am, but I need you to look for me too."_

_"I see you all the time; everywhere."_

_Maggie nodded. "I see you too, Beth. I see you all the time, in the flowers on the side of the road, or the necklace you gave me my senior year, or whenever I look in the mirror, you know?"_

_Beth was close to crying, and just slowly moved her head up and down, turning her head to avoid letting her sister see her cry. "I know. Everytime I speak, I hear you in my voice. I'm so different now; stronger, braver, smarter. I owe it to you, and that's quite a lot to owe someone."_

_"You should go," Maggie said. "Lover's boy waiting for you," she joked. _

_"I love you, Mags, I'm sorry."_

_Maggie nodded. "I know, Bethy, I know. I'm so sorry, too. I love you."_


	8. Chapter 6: A Promise For Changes

Beth shifted uneasily in her sleep, throwing her arms around.

Daryl felt the full force of the blow on his stomach. Beth's hand had hit him squarely in the stomach, knocking the breath from his body.

"What the fuck-" he started, but the sound of screaming interrupted him.

Beth thrashed around, yelling and screaming a name over and over. It took him a while to figure out she was calling for him in her sleep.

"Daryl!" she screeched, crying now.

He leaned up in bed quickly, making an effort to fend her arms off so he could grab her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. She buried her face in his neck, crying and clutching his body.

"S'okay," he soothed, resting his chin on her head. "Just a nightmare was s'all."

Beth sobbed silently into his neck, tears soaking his shirt but he didn't say anything. As long as she needed him, he'd be there.

"Do you wanna..." Daryl said uneasily, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Finally, she stopped crying, sniffing and pulling her head slightly away from him to wipe at her eyes. She was still sat in his lap, both their chests dangerously close.

"I'm okay," Beth said. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

Daryl stared at her. She really was a sight for sore eyes. Despite the day not being the hot, her body was drenched in sweat and her shirt was clinging to her. Her lips were cracked and sore, obviously dry. Her eyes, were red and swollen, heavy black bags under them.

"The dream. What was it about?" Daryl asked.

Beth sat cradled in his lap, staring down. "You died," she choked, flicking her eyes to his. "You died and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save you. I was-"

Daryl pulled her into his chest in an effort to keep her quiet but she started crying again.

"S'fine, I'm here now."

Beth pulled her face from his chest, tears staining her blue eyes as she looked up at him. "I can't lose you too," she admitted.

Daryl nodded, noted how even all those days away from the prison she still smelt like soap, unlike him.

She untangled herself from him and slid over the side of the bed, walking to the bathroom. The door shut with a loud bang and the sound of a lock twisting followed shortly after.

Daryl sigh and let his head drop into his hands. He was so hopeless at this. She was so innocent and untouched, while he had was rough and abused. Complete opposites that in a world like the one before would never had met; never have talked or given each other a second look. If he could promise her that things would change or they'd find the rest of the group, he would. But even he knew she wouldn't stand for his bullshit or believe a single word he said. Some things were better left unsaid; better left hidden underneath and never said... Especially to pretty blondes who were just as broken as a thirty-six year old man was.

Beth let the rain wash away all the grime from her body. The water was cold but soothing and the cuts and bruises she had gotten from the past few days away from the safety of the prison stinged under the spray.

If she had known there was running water, she would have bathed before sleeping last night.

The one cut that made her wince was the scar on her wrist. A sigh of hard times and struggle; of a time when killing yourself was better than facing the world alone.

Standing and stepping onto the mat outside of the shower, she stared down at herself.

She'd never considered herself sexy or even womanly but even Zach had stared at her breasts numerous times before. Even if he was twenty and probably just trying to get into her pants, she'd acknowledged the way he'd stared at her teenage hips and small breasts; whether or not her father had been around.

But Zach had probably had prettier woman. Ones with curvy figures and sizeable racks; unlike Beth's childish figure.

Tugging her white singlet over her head and her jeans over her wet legs, she opened the bathroom door.

Daryl wasn't lying in the bed and it was no suprise to see that it wasn't made. He wasn't the type of guy to do 'womanly' or 'feminine' jobs.

Slowly turning the bedroom door, she slid into the hall.

The only sign that she wasn't alone, or there was another human in the house, was the constant crashing and clattering coming from downstairs.

When Beth made her way down the carpeted stairs, Daryl turned his head to look at her then looked back at the gun in his hands, ignoring her.

"You don't have to pretend I don't exist," she said, sighing heavily.

Daryl just shook his head, his hair falling down his shoulders. Beth noted it was way past needing a cut.

"I'm here whether you like it or not, Daryl," she said. "Leave me if you want-"

"I'm not ma brother!"

Beth stared down at her feet, letting her gaze wonder over her now-clean feet.

"We share a bed, okay? It's not going to be that easy to ignore me. Look, I'm sorry. Whatever I did that is enough to earn a look like the one you just gave me must have been pretty bad, so just tell me what I did!"

Daryl stared but didn't say anything.

Beth grunted in frustration. "I don't care whether or not you care about me, alright? For all I know you don't care about one single hair on my head. You might just be keeping me alive for Maggie because you know she needs me. You don't care at all, do you? Just tell me-"

"Fuck you," Daryl whispered.

"I'm sorry, Daryl. Tell me-"

"I care about you! Fuck, Beth."

She stared then sat down on the steps, letting her head drop into her hands. "You can try and protect me from the world, for God knows why, but I'm not scared of the world."

"I ain't your fuckin' babysitter, Beth," Daryl grunted.

Beth stiffened, then raised her head from her hands. "I never said I need one," she replied. "I can take care of myself."

They both heard the sound of talking from outside the house and Beth stared at Daryl, as if wondering what to do next.

"Go upstairs," he barked, his voice quiet.

"What about you?" she whispered, standing and walking over to him. "I'm not leaving you."

Daryl slammed his fists on the table and sighed angrily. "This ain't no time to argue. Get upstairs and lock the door."

Beth hesitantly nodded. "Be careful," she warned, leaning across to kiss his cheek. "I'll wait upstairs."

She turned and took the steps two at a time, slowly opening the bedroom door to her right and slipping in quietly. Downstairs she could hear talking but it was hard to decipher their words through a thick and wooden door.

The sound of gunshot filled Beth's ears and, with a scream for Daryl, she flung the door opened and ran down the stairs.

Beth paused at the bottom step, feeling the carpet rub against the sides of her bare feet.

"Daryl?" she called, examining the bloodied bodies.

She rolled one over with the tip of her foot and stared at the opened mouth of the man, his eyes open and shocked.

Not Daryl.

The other body, slightly larger than the other one, had a thick mop of blonde hair, practically screaming to Beth that it wasn't Daryl.

The third one, closer to the kitchen, was lying behind the kitchen counter, only its legs showing.

Hesitantly, she crept around to take a glance at it. Horror clenched at her chest as she stared at the feet. The jeans couldn't be Daryl's; he wore darker ones. But the shoes were almost identical to his. When she saw the familiar dark hair and the blood soaking through his shirt, she turned and vomited in the potted plant.

"Dare?" she said, turning to look at the body.

_Maybe it's not him?_ she thought. _This _is_ Daryl Dixon you're talking about. He can't die. People like him don't die._

Finally a raspy reply came.

"Fuck," it said. "Beth?"

She stumbled over to the body, and wiped the vomit from her face with the back of her hand. "I thought..." she began laughing despite the snot bubble forming from her nose. "I thought you were dead."

"Only in your nightmares, right?" he joked, smiling sincerely for the first time Beth could remember.

Beth laughed in reply and nodded. "Only..." she agreed, "Only in my nightmares."

"Now help me up," he said.

The car sped along at a respectful speed, walkers grabbing at the car.

Beth flicked off the heater, hoping and praying to God that Daryl would be okay. She hadn't expected him to faint and when she couldn't find the pulse she'd been thrown into a state of panic; screaming and crying and having whole minutes where she felt like the oxygen was removed from the air.

She couldn't let him die.

"Men like him don't die," she whispered. Those words had been her constant pray for hours; those words had given her broken soul some hope.

The man lied in the back, a thin white sheet tied around his waist in an attempt to stop the bleeding from his bullet wound. He'd woken once during the drive, yelling Beth's name but had fallen asleep slightly after.

_Focus,_ she told herself. _He'll be fine. Daryl always is. _


	9. Chapter 7: Breaking In

Beth sipped the bitter coffee and let out a sigh.

"So," Dee started, "How did you guys meet? He's not you dad, I'm guessing?"

Beth shook her head, setting the white mug on the wooden table. "Daryl showed up on my farm, the one I told you about. Needed help, I guess. We've been travelling around mostly, trying to get away from the walkers, or Biters as you call them, but... We'll survive thanks to you, Mark and David."

Dee laughed, her long brown hair moving with every motion. "If he's not your dad," she asked, taking a long drink from her white mug, "Then you must be together."

"We're not together," Beth replied quickly.

"Sweetie, I may not be your mother but even I can see it in the way you look at him. There's no denying that."

Beth straightened herself in her seat and stifled a laugh. "The way I look at him? I'm just worried, Dee. Aren't we all? He's all I have left, really. I can't lose him like I've lost everyone else I've ever cared about."

"Honey," Dee said, playing a hand over Beth's. "There's something going on between you two, whether you know it or not. You can't protect yourself from those feelings anymore. Love isn't anything to be scared of, okay?"

"I don't love him," Beth sighed. "I just... The first time we spoke, officially, do you know what he said? 'Sh... Shit, your Hershel's daughter right?' And you know what I said? 'You're the redneck with the crossbow everyone warned me about.' He laughed, right, and that felt great. Little Beth Greene, just over sixteen, made a grown man laugh. And it wasn't just this normal laugh either, this laugh was beautiful. Can you believe that? A beautiful laugh. And then every day after that I avoided him because I was scared I was beginning to like this man who old enough to be my father. That's so sick right?"

Dee just stared, pity or sadness in her big green eyes. "Elizabeth, don't bullshit me."

"Dee, I'm serious."

"Sweetie," she said, watching Beth drink her coffee. "Everything you just said may be true, and I don't believe you'd lie to me, but you're in love. Whether you're prepared for it or not."

Beth let her head fall into her hands, setting her coffee mug down on the table. "I'm really not, Deanna."

"Does Daryl know how you feel?"

"How would he? I'd never tell him. He's thirty-six, Dee, and I'm eighteen. My sister would kill him if she found out."

Dee began to laugh but stopped herself. "Are you sleeping together?"

Beth widened her eyes in suprise, shocked at the words. "Not like... Sex," she replied. "But we share a bed. I can't sleep without him now."

"Is that why when I found you this morning you'd forced yourself into the bed next to him and put his arms around you?"

"Honestly?" Beth questioned.

Dee looked down at her empty coffee mug. "Of course, honey."

"Yes."

"And were you the first one to admit to yourself you couldn't sleep without him?"

Beth shrugged. "That first night after the cemetary, two days ago? He crawled into my bed in the middle of the night."

Dee watched Beth drain the rest of her bitter coffee then put her hand out for the cup. "I'll make you another cup, dear."

Beth nodded and said her thanks, handing the cup over without hesitation.

She stared down at the table before the sound of someone clearing their throat entered her ears.

"Daryl," she said looking up. "Are you okay?"

"Fuck," he said, running a hand through his sweaty hair and eyeing the cut on her cheek. "Are you okay?"

Beth nodded, smiling at him. "I fell over outside carrying you in from the car, I'm fine though. Are you okay? You got shot, Daryl. I thought you were going to die."

"Thanks and all... For saving my life... I guess," he said, scrathing his bare chest.

"Well, it's not like I was just going to let you died, at all. Also, about that whole fight in the kitchen-"

Dee pushed open the kitchen door and handed Beth her cup, now filled to the top with bitter coffee before turning to Daryl. "Good to see ya up and about," she said. "Beth was just telling me about her sister and you, of course."

"Hey," he replied, shyly glancing at the floor.

"Beth, I'm going to see if Mark and David are up, they might like Daryl to tag along on their hunting trip. Also, Daryl might need some things explained to him. I'll come back down later when you're done, honey," she said, patting Beth's head and walking past Daryl out of the room.

Once Dee was out of earshot, Daryl finally walked over to Beth and sat in the seat. "Who the fuck are these people?" he asked. "Ya just show up at their house with an old man in your arms and they let ya stay?"

"You're not old, Daryl. And no, I didn't 'Just show up at their house with an old man in my arms and they let me stay'. I just thought maybe we could stay here for a while. They have an electric fence surrounding the property and they're hunters, like you. They're good people, Dare."

Daryl sighed and then nodded. "Well I'm blasted," he said. "Could use something to eat."

Beth nodded. "There's some food in the kitchen. Mainly tinned but I found some potato chips too. I can get them if you want."

"Nah," he replied, grabbing Beth's arms to sit her back down. "I know what you mean... About what happened in the kitchen. I should be apologising-"

"I was a... I care about you too and I was mean. If I was acting like a bitch then tell me because I know you didn't deserve that. Didn't deserve any word of what I said. I doubted you and I'm sorry, Daryl."

He shrugged, leaning across to grab her mug. "Coffee?" he asked, inspecting the mug.

Beth leant her chin on her palm and nodded.

Daryl put it to his mouth and drunk it, only putting it back down to give Beth back the empty mug. "Haven't had a drink in days. My whole mouth tastes like shit."

"I was so worried about you," she admitted. "I thought-"

"Beth I know," he said almost angrily.

She shook her head. "No, you don't. Not really. Every part of me was screaming that you were dead," she said, forcing back oncoming tears. "I. Thought. You. Were. Dead. Don't you ever scare me like that again."

Daryl nodded. "I'll try not to, if you promise not to."

"I promise not to scare you or _possibly_ scare you with my death, happy?"

"I promise too."

Beth smiled. "I guess it's an agreement then, right?"

"Well, as long as you hold up your end then we're good. I really don't think I can trust little blonde girls who can carry men like me. They might jump me in my sleep."

"Gosh, you think you're so funny," she laughed.

Daryl ran his hand through his hair. "_Think?_ I _know_. Got ya laughing didn't I?"

"I'll give you that," she laughed. "But seriously. I reckon before all this you probably did stand-up in some big and shady club. Got all the chicks too. People probably lined up for miles to hear you tell jokes. I bet you signed autographs and got free shots at the bar."

"Ya got me nailed, don't ya Greene?"

Beth shrugged. "I'm a pretty good guesser," she said. "All that practice on my maths exams paid off."

"I'm gonna go upstairs and have a shower," Daryl announced standing from his seat.

"I might join you," Beth said.

Daryl turned to look at her, a hint of confusion displayed in his eyes.

"No!" Beth quickly said. "I meant I'm going to go upstairs, I didn't mean- I- I'm not going- I didn't mean I was going to join you in the shower. I meant upstairs!"

Daryl nodded. "Better show me the way then. I have no fuckin' idea where I'm going."


	10. Chapter 8: Long Way To Go

_"David, oh... God, David!"_

"Are they...?" Beth asked, taking a bite of the cereal on her spoon. The pit of her stomach tried to tell her it wasn't hungry but she knew she needed the food and energy in her.

Daryl nodded, staring down at his food, feighing interest, "Having sex? Upstairs? Oh yea'."

"Oh," Beth whispered, pushing the food around in her bowl with her milk-covered spoon.

The noises upstairs increased; moaning, gasping, panting and banging.

Noises heard by the eighteen year-old ears of Beth Greene despite her lack of sex-life. Daryl, himself, was quite familiar to them. But only in a world before the dead pulled their lifeless bodies from the ground and started eating people.

"Gross," Beth muttered, reaching across to grab Daryl's coffee mug. "I guess it's their house but I'm trying to eat breakfast."

"You'll get used to it," Daryl replied, smirking at Beth's innocence.

She stared at him, setting his mug down beside him. "Are you coming onto me, Daryl?" she questioned, raising a delicate eyebrow at him.

"Don' flatter yourself," he replied quietly.

"Sounds like they're having funny up there," she muttered sarcastically under her breathe. "They're worse than Glenn and Maggie." Beth placed a hand to her head, sighing. "All those nights blocking the sounds with my pillow."

Daryl smirked. "They got pretty wild, huh?"

"Ow, that's my sister," she replied, screwing up her face.

Daryl had to stop himself from laughing at her. "I bet all that time they spent in the watch towers at night was put to good use."

"Stop!" Beth screamed, covering her ears with her palms.

Daryl laughed, nudging her with his shoulder. "Just kidding around... Hang on, what about you?"

Hesitantly Beth uncovered her eyes. "What about me?" she asked, eating another spoon of cereal. "Do you mean...?"

He shrugged, "What ever you think I said."

"I'm a virgin," she said quietly. "Guess there was never time for that. Maggie had boys lined up for miles to date her but me... I was Hershel Greene's youngest daughter. Basically, a 'don't touch' rule that applied at my school."

Daryl nodded, unsure what to say.

"And you? Mr. Hotshot? Virgin? Let me guess, please?"

He stared then grinned. "Bet ya can't guess right."

"Bet you my virginity I can," she shot back with a naughty smirk. "Okay then, I'm guessing you lost your virginity young, not too young though. Maybe 16? Probably in the back of your brother's car outside your house. Either your first love or a hooker."

Daryl bite his lip, staring down at the table. "Well, I was 16 in the back of my brother's car outside my house but it wasn't my first love or a hooker."

Beth frowned, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Who then? Come on, I won't tell."

"Merle's girlfriend."

She laughed. "Daryl's got game. I kind of had a bet going with Maggie. She reckoned you were a virgin, I, you're welcome, countered that a guy with that much skill and mystery was bound to have popped a few bottle caps in his lifetime."

_"Oh, god. Fuck!"_

"Shit!" Beth said suddenly, clapping a hand to her mouth to hide the swear word but it was too late.

"What?" Daryl asked, sipping his sweet coffee.

"You..." Beth started. "You own my virginity. I bet you my virginity that I'd get it right."

Daryl laughed. "Maybe I'll pop your bottle top."

A spray of coffee flew from Beth's mouth and splattered over Daryl. "You'll..." she choked, wide-eyed. "You're going to pop my bottle top?"


	11. Chapter 9: Sad Days And Lonely Nights

Winter mornings, that was Beth's favourite smell.

When the dew on the blades of grass is turning to frost and the cold clings to your skin and sometimes it's so cold your body gets those shivers and it's acceptable to wear six sweaters and five pairs of socks.

When it feels perfectly wrong to be naked in the shower with the warmth of the water the only thing keeping your body warm.

As Beth sang, the frost melted from the grass with the warmth of the sun and her voice drifted with the wind, catching in the ears of those sitting in the house with their breakfast as the young blonde drunk in the morning sun.

_"I'll be your harvester of light_

_And send it out tonight,_

_So we can start again,_

_Is love alive?  
Is love alive?  
Is love alive?_

_This is my winter song_

_December never felt so wrong_  
_Cause you're not where you belong;_  
_Inside my arms."_

When she stopped singing, her voice replaced by the early-morning chirp of birds, she finally heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

Beth spun to look behind her, the sight of a very-tired Daryl entering her sight.

"Well," she started, "Good to see you up."

He nodded, taking a seat beside her as she lied in the grass, her blonde hair splattered across it like a spill of ink.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to get up, I wouldn't blame you. I'm still tired after yesterday. Dee had me help her cook dinner and then we cleaned the house. I'd rather be out with you, Mark and David," Beth said honestly, yawning to make her case.

Daryl sighed. "Yeah, well, winter isn't exactly hunter's season."

Beth nodded in reply, staring up at Daryl. For once, she couldn't see the lines around his eyes or the wrinkles in his skin. He looked young, or young_er_ than she'd ever seen him.

"Ya already 'av breakfast?"

"Yes, mum," she muttered, closing her eyes to shield them from the scorching sun.

"I spoke to Mark and David, they reckon we've driven five hours out of Georgia. Gotta take the back roads, they said, 'parently herds have been wrecking havoc on the highways. I was thinking we should head off in a couple days, get back ta looking for your sister and Rick."

Beth nodded sadly then, with a shake in her voice, said, "Do you really think we're going to find them? I hope we will, I really do but-"

A stray tear rolled down her pale cheek and before she got the chance to wipe it, Daryl reached across and smudged it with his thumb.

"I do," he whispered, putting his sweaty forehead against hers. "We'll find 'em Beth, we will but you need to be strong. If not for you then for me, 'kay? When you break down, you ain't the only one you're hurting."

Beth nodded, letting his words process in her head. "I know, I'm sorry, Daryl," she cried, burying her face in his neck.

He didn't move or flinch but instead let his arms rest around her. "Little Asskicker needs you when we find her and if I don't get you back to Maggie she'll stomp my arse."

Daryl exhaled, releasing a long held breathe. The hug she'd pulled him into was oddly comforting and it'd been so long since he'd touched any person like this apart from when he woke with her snuggled against him.

Slowly Beth pulled her head from his neck. Her blue eyes met his, neither daring to blink or look away, until finally she moved her face closer to his, her lips daring to taste his. Without a word, she pressed their lips together; slowly and carefully.

Neither one moved back or pushed the other away and Beth, still kissing Daryl, moved her hands to his face; stroking his cheek with her thumb absentmindedly. For a while their noses kept bumping, making Beth giggle quietly every time, reminding Daryl how long it had been since he'd kissed someone; let alone a woman like Beth.

His hand grabbed her torso, holding her close. Beth let out a slight gasp at the sudden touch but didn't move, instead she wrapped her skinny legs around his waist, daring their bodies to get closer.

"Daryl," she breathed between kisses. "Please don't go; please don't push me away."

He pulled her away and stared, his nails digging in between her shoulder blades. There was a seconds hesitation before he leaned forward and kissed her. There was barely enough time for her to kiss him back before he ripped his lips from hers.

"I don't know what you fuckin' meant by that, Beth, but you better not say that again. I ain't leaving, and ya better not think I am."

Beth stared at him, chewing on a piece of lettuce from her plate. The day had gone awfully slow after she'd kissed Daryl and he'd kissed her back. Dee had more than insisted Beth go with Mark, because he's '_as single as a blowfish and as horny as a horse_', on a run and when she'd declined, Dee and David had literally forced her to go.

Daryl hadn't been too pleased with the idea but he'd been whisked away on a day long hunting trip with David so he had no way to intervene.

Mark had, and was probably going to again, tried to kiss her on the ride back, stating that a girl that sweet and innocent, and pretty he'd added, shouldn't be with a man old enough to be her father. Beth had waved it off, replying that despite how kind and handsome he was, she wasn't quite ready for a relationship.

It had, of course, only been part true. She was ready for a relationship but only if it involved a rugged redneck.

She'd only had enough time to walk through the door before she was sat down at the table, across from Daryl, and given her dinner.

Beth hoped that the kiss wouldn't ruin any chances she had with him but the constant fact that he'd kissed her back still loomed in the back of her mind; practically screaming that he did feel partly the same way as she did.

Swallowing the remainder of the food in her mouth, and her pride, she stood from the table.

"I'm going to bed, thanks for dinner. Night Dee, Mark, David," she said then casting a look at the man staring at her, she added softly, "Night Daryl."

The only replies that came her way were the only ones she didn't care about.

**TWO LONELY, KISS-LESS NIGHTS LATER**

Beth snuggled herself further into the blankets.

It'd be so cold the last few days and Daryl had started sleeping in the other guest room after the kiss leaving Beth alone to her thoughts. The bed didn't feel quite the same without him and she'd grown accustomed to hugging her pillows at night and pretending she wasn't alone; wasn't in a big bedroom with her as her only companion.

Winter nights got awfully lonely.

Dee and David were always together, kissing and hugging and telling each other they loved each other in silly voices and accents.

Beth wished she'd have a relationship like that one day. Neck kisses and back massages, secrets told at ridiculous hours in the morning and early morning kisses that taste like coffee and bad breathe. All of those things that come from silly relationships and love. Things that no matter how bad life gets, Beth will always want; will always crave and dream about.

But, she realised sadly, things like that don't come from relationships with men like Daryl Dixon.


	12. Chapter 10: Not A Love Story

For a brief minute, Beth was back at home; Judith giggling in her lap, Maggie and Glenn messing around in the watch tower, Michonne arguing with Carl over comic books while Rick tended to the garden.

Things she'd never have again; and if she did, they'd never be the same; not like they were.

"So, Beth, you never answered my question- Would you rather have a cow's tongue or a lobster's claws?"

She shrugged, uninterested, staring down at her drink. "I don't know, Mark," she grumbled, leaning her cheek on her palm while she pretending to feigh interest in her creamy tea.

"Oh, come on! Stop being so boring. You haven't been paying attention all day, Beth. I'm getting bored. If you're not going to talk to me then don't let me bother trying to talk to you."

Beth lifted her head to look at him. "I said, 'I don't know'."

He sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "Are you always this exceptionally boring or are you just feeling like this today?"

"Oh, fuck off," a voice grumbled from beside Beth, before the owner of the voice took a seat beside her.

"The girl don't wanna play, Mark. Best leave the talk to the men," Daryl said, eyeing the doorway. "How about ya go and see when David and I are heading out to hunt? Leave Beth and me to talk for a bit."

Mark glared angrily at Beth before standing and heading for the door.

"Thanks," Beth sighed, curling a rather wavy string of her hair around her finger. "I didn't exactly have the best sleep last night."

"Neither," Daryl replied during a long yawn.

Beth watched him out of the corner of her ear before offering him her cup. "It's going cold and I only take two sugars," she lied, "You probably haven't drunken this morning, here."

Daryl took the cup with little hesitation before downing the cup in one go. "Thanks, Greene. So, you and Mark, huh?"

"It isn't like that," she scoffed. "I do have my eye on someone but it sure isn't the kid. He's seventeen and he's already trying to jump into my bed."

"I think you forget you're a year apart," he laughed.

Beth frowned, "I'm not forgetting, Daryl, and besides, if I go jumping into bed with someone it's not going to be him."

Daryl passed the empty cup back. "I don't really think ya should be thinking about jumping into bed with anyone at the moment, Beth. Little girl just over eighteen-"

"No one but you right?" she joked.

Daryl snorted. "Thanks for the offer but you're a bit..."

"Do continue," Beth replied, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "I really wanna see where this is going."

"Look, if you're going to be 'jumping into bed with someone' then it's not going to be me, let's get that straight, okay?"

Beth lowered her head in embarrassment before finally laughing. "Please, you're a little too aged for my taste, Daryl. It's kind to offer but I'm not really into guys like you."

"Did you need a taste to figure that out?"

She stared, her mouth open as if to speak but no words would come out. "I..."

"You have you're sister, who else could you need?"

Beth scoffed. "Well she's not exactly here right now, okay?"

"Atleast you still got ya family. You're got Maggie, ain't that better than nothing? Who else could ya possibly need, Beth?"

"I don't need anyone one else, I need you! Can't you tell, Daryl?"

"I…I didn't know," he choked, diverting his gaze.

Beth put her head in her hands, admitting defeat. "Well, you know now!"

"So, what? That... The... That kiss was because you needed me? Is that all that was? Because ya miss Zach or Jimmy and ya needed another guy?"

"No!" Beth argued. "It's because for the first time in my life I didn't know what to do. For the first time, Daryl, I needed someone who wasn't Maggie, or my dad, or my mum or Shawn, and I didn't know how to deal with that!"

He growled in frustration before turning to look at her, waiting for her to speak.

Beth stared back before leaning forward slowly to touch her lips to his and he accepted, letting her snake her tongue experimently into his mouth.

Daryl pulled back, holding her arms to hold her off. "Beth," he said softly.

"Wh... What's... What's wrong?" she asked, eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

"Ya know we can't continue this right? Well, whatever _this_ is. As soon as we meet up with Rick and Judy and your sister, we can't be doing this. Sharing a bed and playing families."

Beth stared, mouth wide in surprise. "I don't know what you think this is, Daryl, but it's definitely not me playing happy families."

"Then why would you... Kiss me?"

"Because I was..." she choked, the words caught in her throat. "Because I was falling in love with you."


	13. Chapter 11: Confessions

"You were... You were falling in love with me?"

Beth stared, the words she wanted to say stuck deep in her throat. She could barely breathe; she felt as if the air had been stolen from the air.

"Yes," she replied, Daryl's fingers grasping her arms tightly. "I don't expect you to say it back, okay? But don't just sit there and stare like you don't understand-"

"Were?"

She swallowed and breathed out; a breathe she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "I am falling in love with you. Right now. I don't want to; I didn't want to but now you're one of the most important people in my life and I can't lose you and maybe telling you how I feel will make sure you never will. Maybe God or some wicked twist of fate will make sure we never have to be apart; that you'll never leave me and vice versa."

Daryl nodded and pursued his lips, releasing his grip on Beth's arm and diverting his gaze from her to the window.

"Let's go outside."

"What?" Beth asked, a laugh stirring in the back of her throat. "You're meant to be hunting soon with David, Daryl."

He shrugged and stood up, making his way to the front door, his voice raspy and unsure as he spoke. "I'd rather spend time with you."

Beth tried to hide the blush in her cheek but when Daryl turned quickly to check and see if she was following, she blushed even more and reached forward to grab his finger between her hand like she used to do with Maggie when she was little.

He flinched slightly but Beth leant her body into his and whispered softly in his ear.

"Don't be nervous," she said, smiling at the clear uncomfortableness evident in Daryl's face. "Come on Double D," she laughed, "let's go outside."

He growled in the back of his throat, before muttering gruffly, "Don' call me that."

"What? You can call me girly but I can't call you Double D? Now, I don't think that's quite fair, Daryl," she teased, smiling as he reached over and tickled her stomach.

"Oh, fuck off," he said, scrunching up his nose.

Beth leant forward to look at his face. "You're cute when you're mad, you know."

He shrugged, casting a quick glance at her before finally grinning. "You're cute," he replied, squeezing her finger.

"Yeah," Beth agreed, "I know."


	14. Chapter 12: Battle Scars

**Please review, my lovelies.**

* * *

Beth slipped off her t-shirt to reveal milky flesh, watching Daryl's eyes widen at the sight of her bare stomach.

She wasn't sure how they got to this point, where she'd be stripping in front of him and watching his eyes hungrily devour her, she thought as she pulled the thin straps of her bra off her arms and cupped her bare breasts, palming the hardness of her nipples.

Daryl swallowed nervously, diverting his gaze from her petite body to the grass he was sitting on.

Beth cleared her throat to draw his attention, hooking her fingers in the band of her jeans and tugging them off her waist and down her pale thighs. Watching his gaze sweep over her body, she pinched the waistband of her panties between her fingers and pulled them down slowly, standing before him in all her naked glory.

"Wow," Daryl admired breathlessly, trying hard to keep his eyes off her.

"I want you..." Beth said, "to pop my bottle top."

Daryl choked, staring at her wordlessly.

Beth looked down at her body and laughed softly, "I'm trying to seduce you," she admitted. "Is it working?"

Daryl looked down at his pants, fighting off his erection.

"If you don't want to, Daryl, then I'll understand," she muttered, sighing and siting down carefully on the grass. It was still slightly wet from yesterday's rain.

"I... I don't think ya ready, Beth," he admitted.

She scoffed, bringing her kness up to her chin to hide her naked body. "I'm eighteen, Daryl, I think I can decide when I want to lose my virginity, okay?"

He nodded, watching her carefully as she put her head down in either disappointment or embarrassment.

"Okay."

Beth pulled her head up to look at him, shocked. "What?"

"I get it... That you can decide when you want ta... Like, have sex, Beth. But, I don't think ya wanna have it with me."

"I know what I'm doing; what I'm getting myself into."

He nodded, "Had to make sure."

Beth stood, walking over to him slowly, her naked body on show. Gently she lowered herself beside him, lying in the grass. "I know what I'm doing," she repeats, more to herself than him and he nods again, moving ontop of her and leaning down to kiss her gently and sweetly.

"Kiss me," she groaned, squirming her body beneath him.

"Give me a second, woman," he muttered, moving his hard lips from her mouth to her neck, sucking on her delicate skin as he palms her breasts, cupping them in his hands.

Beth moaned, finally raising her hands to start to work his shirt off, fumbling at the buttons and then slowly working it down his muscular arms before throwing it to the side. Her hands reached for his belt but Daryl pushed her off.

"Ya first time, want ya to enjoy it," he mumbled, moving his lips from her collarbone to her swelling breasts and sucking on them almost gently as she moaned.

The second time she reached for his belt, he let her, wriggling his hips to help her work them off. When they reached his thighs, he leaned up and pulled his feet through them, chucking them to the side.

Beth stared up at him, avoiding the sight of his bulging erection through his boxers.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, spreading her legs.

Daryl admired her sweat-soaked body before tugging down on his boxers and throwing them beside his shirt and jeans. He leaned down slowly, pressing himself against Beth's opening. She bucked her hips towards him and he grunted in irritation.

"Slow down," he grumbled, as he slid his hot member into her fragile body.

Beth let out a gasp of suprise and squeezed her eyes shut, moving her hips in motion with him as they moaned and groaned.

"Fuck, Beth," Daryl grunted, looking down at their bodies as they met.

"Daryl," she screamed, as he thrusted faster and deeper into her. "Don't stop, please!" she begged, despite the pain.

He leant forward to press a delicate kiss to her mouth, before moving his lips to her neck, sucking at her neck as he forced himself deeper into her.

"Ow," Beth gasped.

Daryl stared at her, thrusting once more before talking. "What?"

"I think an ant bit me," she complained, furrowing her eyebrow in either anger or confusion.

Daryl grunted in irritation and feel down besides her, both panting before finally Beth started laughing.

"What?" he asked, staring curiously at her.

Beth turned her head to look at him before smiling. "Had you ever thought, all those years ago on my family's farm, that... That'd we be doing this?"

Daryl shrugged. "Did ya?"

"No, of course not. I had Jimmy and you were strong and tough and far too old for me but now... I'm eighteen, I can make my own choices and one of those is that I want you. I need you."

"Damn romance novel," Daryl muttered, closing his eyes against the warm sun.

* * *

Beth pushed the squirrel around her plate, staring at the greens on her plate. "Thanks for dinner, Dee."

"Oh, sweets, thank you for helping me," she replied, laying a gently hand on Beth's.

From beside her, Daryl's elbow poked her in the ribs and Beth winced. "What?" she hissed, turning to look at him.

He didn't answer, just pointed to the corner of the room near the kitchen where Mark was staring at her.

"I might go to bed, thanks for dinner and all. Uh, Daryl, are you coming?"

He shrugged, before handing her his plate. "Meet ya upstairs," he grumbled to her quietly, before leaving the dining room.

Beth flashed an apologetic smile at Dee and headed into the kitchen, the empty plates heavy in her arms. She turned on the tap, letting the warm water run over her shaking hands before pulling them away; the water too hot.

_Daryl liked her back, maybe even really loved her back. He'd had sex with her, he'd kissed her, he'd even offered to sleep in the bed with her that night, to keep her safe and make sure she had no bad dreams. Beth hadn't even bothered to tell him the nightmares had stopped almost a week ago. She remembered the first night they shared the sleeping bag and she woke up with his hard-on against her. Of course she'd never mentioned it, so what? He was a man and that's what happened, right? They got erections. It was perfectly normal and she wasn't going to mention it. It had been awkward to wake up one morning with his face buried in her neck and one hand gripping her ass. When he'd woken half-asleep, he'd apologised and then drifted back off, moving to lie on his other side. It'd been nice, to wake with the comfort of a man, Daryl Dixon of all men, holding her tightly. She hadn't even thought about how much she'd like him then but she had a little; always had had that little stirring in her stomach every time he walked past her or said her name of spoke directly to her. It was just _there, _Beth realised. _

Beth dried her hands with the red tea-towel hanging on the hook near the door and sighed, leaning against the wall, tears threatening to spill at the naked realisation of her situation.

_Maggie needed to be found. Beth needed to know if she was still alive. What if she wasn't? What if Maggie was gone and Glenn was gone and Rick was gone and Carl was gone and Michonne was gone and Judy was gone and Sasha and Tyreese were gone and the only people left were Daryl and Beth? Were they really all that was left? _

She stood back up, wiping tears from her face and checking her reflection in the glass of the oven to her left. She looked, honestly, like crap. Her hair was a mess, despite being able to shower daily now, heavy black bags hung under her eyes and her face was pale, like she hadn't eaten in days or she had a high fever.

The only thing that made her remotely pretty was the innocence in her eyes, innocence she'd recently given to Daryl in the field outside the house.

Innocence she'd never get back.

Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she walked out of the kitchen, through the dining room and up the stair case.

Her room was on the right side, at the end of the hallway. Daryl's was the second on the left, closer to her than her own room was.

Daryl had said he'd meet her upstairs but from the lack of noise in his room, she made her way to her own. She pressed her ears against it, expecting to hear something, anything, but it was quiet. Pushing open the door, she heard the steady stream of the shower.

"Daryl?" she called, walking slowly into the room.

"I'm... Uh, I'm in the shower," he called back.

Beth sat on the edge of the bed, sighing loudly. "I'll... Should I stay out here or can I come in? I just... Would that be okay?'

"Whatever," Daryl replied.

Beth nodded and stood up, walking slowly over to the bathroom door. She raised her fist to knock, not wanting to be rude, but forced it down, opening the door anyway. They'd had sex, he'd seen her naked, she'd seen him naked, who cares?

"Can I use the shower after you?" she asked, fiddling awkwardly with the bottom of her shirt. "It's just earlier in the field and yeah."

"Hop in," he grumbled.

Beth stared before turning her back to him and undressing. Her shirt went first, then pants, then her bra, and as she pulled her off her panties, she froze, realising he was watching her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, turning to look at him as goose bumps rose on her skin at the sight of his naked body.

He shrugged, "Gonna get in or what?"

Beth nodded, stepping into the shower, the warm water relaxing her body immediately. She stared at Daryl's back, looking at the scars. She'd seen them before, but hadn't brought it up, never saw a need to; not her business.

She reached forward and traced one, his whole body freezing at the contact. Slowly, she replaced her finger with her lips, kissing each inch of his scars as he stood still.

"Daryl," she whispered, wrapping her skinny arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry."

He didn't say anything, just kept washing his dirty hair, ignoring the hands around his waist or the words she'd spoken.

"I'm sorry about whatever happened to you, it's not your fault, okay? I'm so sorry, Daryl."

He shrugged, running his hands through his shampoo-ed hair.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," she said softly, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I don't know what happened, but I know you didn't deserve it. I don't think you deserve it, Dare. Whoever-"

"Fuck you," he grumbled. "Ya don't fuckin' know what happened, mind your own damn business."

Beth pulled her arms away, pushing herself into the corner of the shower. "I didn't- I wasn't-"

"Don't bother, Greene," he sighed.

Beth sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to offend you. I know it's none of my business, okay? _I'm sorry."_

She walked forward slowly, feet splashing in the water in the bottom of the shower, and wrapped her arms back around his waist, kissing his scars again. He didn't say anything, just dropped his head to look at the bottom of the shower.

When she finished kissing his last scar, letting her lips linger on his skin for longer than neccessary, she pressed her cheek against his back.

"I love you," she said, squeezing his torso.

"I know," Daryl muttered.

* * *

**Please review this story. I love feedback and it helps keep the story going. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed or left feedback. I'll be thanking a few of you in the next chapter. Hugs and kisses, from Amy.**


	15. Chapter 13: Hope, Peace and Maggie

**Longer chapter hopefully soon. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Anyway, please review. Let me know what you think and if you have an predictions or suggestions. Every review, follow or favourite is really appreciated.**

* * *

Sasha yawned, hugging herself with her skinny arms. "Maggie, don't you think we should-"

"I'm going to find her!" Maggie growled, walking quickly ahead of them.

Sasha nodded and lowered her head, fiddling with the gun in her tired and aching hands.

"Do you really think we're going to find her?" Bob whispered, pulling Sasha's shivering body closer to his.

Snuggling into him, she sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "We already spent so much time looking for Glenn and when we found him... I just don't know. I really don't. How long do you think she's going to keep going on? She's got to run out of hope."

"That's the thing," Bob replied, laughing sadly. "Girls like her, and you, just don't give up. They don't have it in them to run out of hope. If we find Beth the same way we found Glenn... I don't even want to think about that. Let's agree that if we find Beth and she's not exactly right, we won't let Maggie near her."

"She's so tired," Sasha said softly. "Her father just died and now her husband's dead and her sister could be... I just don't know what we're going to do if she doesn't find Beth or she does and she's- she's- one of those things."

Bob shrugged. "It's not any of our business, Sasha. I know you're naturally a good person and you want to help but sometimes you can't. Maggie's strong and we'll do what we can to keep her going and alive but there is really only so much we can do."

"I'm just afraid if we don't find Beth-"

"She's going to off herself? Is that we're you're scared of?"

Sasha yawned again, her whole body shaking in the cold. "I don't know, Bob. I'm sorry, I'm just so tired. I haven't eaten all day and it's so cold."

"Gotta keep moving," Bob replied. "'If it makes you feel better, I don't feel the best either. I think you're forgetting I got shot," he laughed.

"Maggie!" Sasha called, ignoring Bob. "Come on, let's rest. There's a house just over-"

"Shut up!" Maggie shouted. "Shut up. I'm going to find her, I'm going to... I will! I'm not losing the only other thing in this life that I care about."

Sasha opened her mouth to say something but Bob didn't give her the chance to speak. "You'll need your strength. If-"

"-When," Maggie interrupted.

"Yeah, sorry, when you find your sister. Don't you think she'll want you to well-rested and fed? She's probably tearing this world apart looking for you. You'll find her, we'll find her. We will. Just remember you're not the only one looking for someone. Sasha is also looking for Tyreese, alright? You're both going to need your rest so you can get an early start tomorrow."

Maggie finally nodded, lowering her head in defeat. "I'm just so tired," she cried. "I'm just..."

"Come on," Bob said, grabbing Sasha's hand and walking over to Maggie. "Let's settle in for the night. Where was that house you saw, Sash?"


	16. Chapter 14: Gone

_Gone, _he choked, _everyone's gone. Judy's gone and Daryl and Beth and Maggie and mum and Patrick, who's been long gone for a while. Everyone's gone. _

Carl replayed the words over in his head, the image of his mother's dead body and his baby sister's bloody carseat plaguing his thoughts.

_Gone, _he repeated. _Michonne and Hershel and Tyreese and Sasha and Shane and Sophia, who's been gone for a long time. _

Carl sniffed back his tears, his throat burning. Everyone he'd ever cared about; everyone he'd loved.. All _gone._

_ "This is what I want. This is right. Now, you take care of your daddy for me, all right? And your little brother or sister. You're gonna be fine. You are gonna beat this world, I know you will. You are smart and you are strong and you are so brave. And I love you. You gotta do what's right. You promise me you'll always do what's right. It's so easy to do the wrong thing in this world. So if it feels wrong, don't do it, all right? If it feels easy, don't do it. Don't let the world swallow you. You're so good, my sweet boy. You're the best thing I ever did. I love you."_

The words of his parting mother swirled in his lonely head, and the sight of her blood on the pavement brought a sick feeling to his starved stomach.

_Gone._

"What?" Rick's voice rang out; heavy and tired, one of a man who was in need of hope.

"They're all gone, dad. Everyone. Daryl and Michonne and Beth and Maggie and Glenn and Hershel and Judy and... Mum."

Before he could say anything further, Carl stood and ran out of the room, trying to hide the steady stream of tears down his pale and young cheeks.

The only noise in the house was that of Carl's heavy and quick footsteps up the stairs as he tried to get away from something Rick couldn't see.

_A monster that only exists in his head, _Rick thought to himself. Carl was young, just a man, and the world was cruel and tough and turning him into something Rick never thought he'd see, something he never wanted to see, but Carl was strong and brave and he didn't let the world beat him down.

And hopefully he never would.

Rick took another sip from his glass, warm water running down his throat. The knocking on the door disturbing his troubled thoughts.

Leaning up cautiously, he reached for his gun.

_Walkers don't knock, _he reminded himself.

Putting it back down on the table, he crept towards the door, peering through the peep-hole. A smile crept onto his face at the sight of the figure standing there.

"Going to open the door?" it asked, a grin plastered on it's face.

* * *

Beth watched Daryl sit down across from her as she smiled. "How was your sleep last night?" she asked awkwardly, clearing remembering the way Daryl had hid earlier that morning to avoid Dee.

Daryl shrugged, clearing his throat. "It was... Uh, fine."

She nodded, smiling down at her food.

"Is there, uh, something going on?" Dee asked, pulling Beth's attention from her food to the curious face of the older woman.

"No," Beth quickly replied. "Nothing. Why?"

Dee smirked questionably. "Y'all acting weird, sweetie. But I don't suppose you'd lie to me, right? Anway, we'd better be getting dressed and prepped, Bethy-"

Beth pushed her chair out, dropping her fork loudly. "Don't," she said angrily. "Don't Dee."

"Dear, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you-"

"Beth?" Daryl asked, backing out his chair. "Beth, are you okay?"

She slowly shook her head, tears threatening to spill. "What are we doing Daryl? We should be looking for my sister and Rick and Carl and everyone else. Instead we're doing whatever," she said, flinging her arms about, "you'd call this."

"We'll find your sister-"

"I know she's probably dead!" Beth argued. "Don't lie to me, Daryl. I know everytime I talk about her you get this look in your eye like you're sorry. I don't need your sympathy."

Daryl shrugged. "Ya don't have it."

Beth wiped her face, "Well, good. B-Because I-I don't need it."

"Sweets, are you okay?" Dee asked, standing to loop an arm around Beth's shoulder while she cried.

"I'm okay, I'm okay."

Daryl stared, dropping his arms by his side.

Beth pulled herself from Dee's arms, and straight into Daryl, who was taken back at the sudden contact.

"I'm s-sorry," she sobbed, before leaning up and pressing her lips against his. "I'm sorry," she said between kisses while Dee, Mark and David stared on in shock.

Daryl pushed her off, making sure not to hurt her. "Not her," he hissed.

Beth nodded in understanding before making her way upstairs.

As Daryl turned to the stairs, Dee called him.

"I think we need to talk."

"Have you had sex yet?"

Daryl winced uneasily. "Not really my place to say."

"She's young, Mr. Dixon. Doesn't know what she's doing, honest. When she came to my front door with a fully-grown man in her arms, I didn't know what to do. She was crying like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't calm her down. She was holding your hand and sobbing up a storm. When I told her you'd be okay, she was still crying. But... this was different. She was so happy, so relieved and she went straight in there and sat by your side. Wouldn't leave the room. I had to tear her off you to get her to eat but other than that she slept by your side. I thought it was so bizarre. A young girl so distraught over you. You were a real douche, when I met you, you know. But that doesn't change how you feel about eachother."

Daryl sighed, and nodded. "Thanks for the-"

"Are you gonna answer the question boy?"

"It ain't my place ta say."

Dee rubbed her forehead, releasing a deep breath. "Now, listen. Just.. It isn't like I'm gonna go mouthing off to everyone, Daryl. I'm just curious s'all."

"Ya want an honest answer?"

Dee smiled, "Course, I do. So, did you guys...?"

"Yes."

* * *

**Leave a review please, guys. Thanks so much.**


	17. Chapter 15: On The Road Again

"She really did a number on ya face, huh?" Beth asked, gently pressing the tip of index finger against his cheek.

Daryl winced and dodged out of her reach. "Yup," he muttered.

"What'd you do anyway?" she asked, leaning back in her seat, watching as the two lone walkers on the side of the road passed. "I mean, you came straight upstairs and started packing and now we're on the road again going in the opposite direction of where we should be going."

He shrugged. "Dunno. Ain't like it matters anyway, right?"

"Curiosity never killed anyone. I wanna know," she said, stomping her feet and scrunching up her nose. "Tell me please?"

Daryl watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye, her actions reminding him just how young she really was. "She just wanted ta know if we'd..." he trailed off, glancing at her. "You know."

"Actually, Daryl, I don't. If we'd what?"

"Fucked," he muttered.

Beth crossed her arms and nodded. Finally she spoke quietly. "And you told her the truth, right? Because that's what you do. And now we're in the middle of nowhere with less than we started out with."

"I don't know why you're mad at me, you're the one that wanted to do it," he argued.

"Because I'm pregnant!"

Daryl pressed down on the brake, flinging them both forward from their seats. "What?" he asked, staring at her. "You're... You're what?"

Beth put her head in her hands, shaking. "I'm pregnant, Daryl."

He nodded, a smile creeping on his face before he finally unbuckled himself and shuffled closer to her. "Beth," he whispered, "Beth?"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "We can't be on the road with a baby and I don't know how we're going to take care of it and it's all my fault-"

"Beth," Daryl interrupted. "I don't care."

She nodded, snuggling into his chest, sobs still racking through her body. "I don't know how we're going to do this," she whispered softly.

"We're going to do this, that's all that matters."

"Thankyou," Beth said quietly, leaning up to press her soft lips against his. "I love you."

Daryl nodded, "I know."

Beth went quiet, the realisation that maybe he didn't love her back silencing her. She squeezed his torso, holding him closer.

"I love you too."


End file.
